Will the legalization of hemp and CBD oil get finalized before the session ends on Thursday? It cleared the Senate but with new amendments added, so it heads back to the House.
Franklin Senator Brett Allain is behind the measure and says farmers are itching to get their hands on the product, as the prices of common Louisiana commodities like rice, cotton, and soybeans are currently low.
“The farmers in this state want the opportunity to have another commodity to grow, so they can switch from one commodity to another to try to help and support themselves and their family,” Allain said.
The legislation calls for the Department of Agriculture to regulate the product and perform routine tests of crops to ensure their THC level, a hallucinogenic chemical, is not above .03 percent.
“All industrial hemp crops will be tested by Louisiana Ag. and Forestry, to test for the THC content. Hemp is a distant cousin of marijuana, but it is not marijuana,” said Allain.
A state regulatory plan for production will have to be submitted to the USDA by November 1st.